


Home Again

by myglassesaredirty



Series: It Had to be You [13]
Category: Psych
Genre: But Mostly Comfort, Comfort, Episode: s03e16 An Evening With Mr. Yang, F/M, Flirting, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Married Life, Pizza, friends - Freeform, ignoring trauma, like the show they're watching the show, look they're not married anymore but they might as WELL be, post-episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-30 01:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19031722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myglassesaredirty/pseuds/myglassesaredirty
Summary: Shawn beat Yang in the sick game she set out for them. Now it's time for them all to move past it. Shawn (and, by default, Gus) have a date, Juliet and Carlton have to take care of police business, and the only place Madeleine has to go is back to her hotel.Or she can go back home with Henry.





	Home Again

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this in my mind for a while now, I just haven't acted on it because I am a fool. But then I realized that Madry is almost to fifty fics and I figured I could whip something up.

It doesn’t usually get cold in Santa Barbara.

 

He tucks his hands into his jeans pockets, twisting his head around, body tensed for a fight. Puffs of white smoke blow from his mouth, hang in the air for a brief second, and disappear. His windbreaker does nothing to prevent the cold air from wrapping around the skin on his neck and head and letting the hot air escape.

 

Shawn jogs up to him and stands in front of him for a moment. Neither of them say anything, but Henry’s hands itch in his pockets, wanting to reach out and pull his son towards him.

 

Shawn looks away from him and stares at the ground. “You were right,” he finally whispers.

 

Henry knows this. He knows that he was right about Shawn getting involved, that his involvement endangered anyone and everyone Shawn ever loved, but that’s not what Shawn needs to hear right now. Hell, it’s not like Henry wanted to be right about this in the first place. He tugs one hand from his pocket and rests it on Shawn’s shoulder. “You did your best, son. You saved your mother. That’s all anyone can ask of you.”

 

Shawn sniffles and wipes his nose with the back of his hand. “Dad…she was strapped. And I don’t know, I just get the feeling that I got really lucky and it almost– Mom almost died, and it would have been my fault because I didn’t listen to you and then I changed the rules up on Yang, and –”

 

Henry puts both of his hands on Shawn’s shoulders and ducks his head to catch his son’s eye. “Listen to me, Shawn,” he says with a gentle shake. Shawn lifts his head, his chest rising and falling rapidly. If Henry cared to glance at Shawn’s hands, he would find them shaking. “It isn’t your fault. I want you to know that. Yang is sick. This person killed twelve people, and had you  _ not _ changed up the rules, Yang would have a thirteenth person on her kill list.”

 

Shawn presses his lips together, and in the light coming from the police cars, Henry can make out tears shimmering in his eyes. “But she almost killed  _ Mom. _ Dad, it wouldn’t have just been a person, it would have been Mom.”

 

Henry clenches his jaw and pulls Shawn into a hug. “I know.” He squeezes his eyes shut and runs his hand through Shawn’s hair. “But thank God that you both are okay.” He presses his cheek to Shawn’s head.

 

Shawn sniffles and clings onto his father. “Dad, why weren’t you there? You knew she was in town.”

 

He did. He knew Maddy was in town. He knows whenever she is in town, and he endangered her. “I was on the way to her hotel,” he chokes out. The mere thought causes his hands to shake and his throat to close up, so he pulls away for a brief second and kisses Shawn’s head. “I’d been on the phone with her for the better part of an hour, and she finally asked me to come over. I –” he laughs to cover up the tears in his voice. “I decided to swing by In-’N-Out to surprise her, and by the time I got to the hotel…”

 

Shawn tucks his face into his father’s shoulder. “We were already leaving.”

 

Henry nods once and cups the back of Shawn’s head. “That’s right.”

 

Shawn pulls Henry closer to him. “It wasn’t your fault, Dad. Yang kidnapped Mom. It’s her fault. It’s only Yang’s fault.”

 

Henry nods once more and steps away. “I know you had a date tonight. Call Abigail. Go out with her.”

 

Shawn swipes at his eyes and grips Henry’s wrist in his right hand. “But Mom…”

 

Henry squeezes Shawn’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of your mother. You need to get your mind off of this as much as possible. You can deal with the trauma tomorrow, and you’ll need to deal with it tomorrow or sometime soon. But give yourself time to breathe first.”

 

Shawn nods and takes a deep breath. “That’s– okay, Dad, thanks.” He sniffles again and smiles sadly. “You still love Mom, don’t you?”

 

Maddy’s voice floats through the cold air, and Henry glances over his shoulder to see Juliet kneeling in front of her, gently talking to her. Maddy squeezes Juliet’s hands and assures her that she’ll be just fine; her husband is about to take her home.

 

Henry looks back to Shawn. “I do.”

 

Shawn claps his father’s shoulder. “Go home, Dad. Rest up. Take care of Mom. I’ll be fine. I have Lassie and Jules on speed dial if need be, and Gus will be with me for the rest of the week.”

 

Henry nods and kisses Shawn’s forehead. “Okay. Be safe. I love you.”

 

“Love you, too, Dad.”

 

Henry turns around and stares for a moment at Maddy and Juliet. Juliet examines Maddy, turning her hands over and checking for injuries, asking where some of the cuts came from. Maddy tucks her hair behind her ear. “I tried to fight her back. I didn’t get much of a hit on her.”

 

Henry comes up behind Juliet and places his hand on Juliet’s shoulder. “I’ll take it from here, Juliet. Thank you.”

 

Juliet smiles sadly at him and stands. “If you need anymore help, or if you want an additional officer outside your hotel room, then –”

 

Maddy’s eyes flash. “I’m not going back to that hotel.” She presses her lips together and reaches for Henry’s hand. “I can’t go back.”

 

Juliet blinks. “Oh. Well, I can have one of the officers or myself go down to the hotel and pack up your stuff as soon as the chief gives us the all-clear. Would that make you feel better?”

 

Maddy nods and squeezes Henry’s hand. “That would. Thank you so much, dear.”

 

Juliet waves goodbye and jogs to Carlton’s car.

 

Henry slowly sits down next to Maddy. “I know you’ve got this question way too many times over the past hour, and it’s a stupid question, but are you okay?”

 

She smiles softly at him. “I’m terrified, if that’s what you’re asking.”

 

He nods. “Understandably.”

 

Maddy shakes her head once and bites back a sob. “I was so scared for my life, and for you, and for Shawn.” She leans forward and rests her forehead against Henry’s. “Why didn’t you leave? Yang could have detonated the bomb at any time.”

 

Henry shakes his head and pulls his hand from hers, cupping her cheek instead. “I wouldn’t leave you. I’m not letting you die alone.”

 

She presses her lips together. “I don’t deserve you.”

 

He tilts his head and captures her lips in his. She sighs, immediately falling back into the days of their marriage. Her hand rests against his chest, and she chases his lips, trying to speed up the kiss, but he keeps it slow. He’s used to the feeling of her fingers tangling in his shirt, and it doesn’t surprise him when she does it again. He kisses her once more and pulls away.

 

“Home?” he whispers, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “My home?”

 

She nods and leans into him. “It’s the only place that ever felt like home.” She laces her fingers through his. “You always made it feel like home. Even when we were fighting, even when our marriage started falling apart, you still made it feel like home.”

 

Henry stands up and gently leads her to his truck. “I can order some pizza from Domino’s. I think they’re still open.”

 

Maddy stays close to his side and takes his hand to get into the truck. “Only if it’s not too much trouble. Just…don’t leave me on my own. Please.”

 

He pulls away from the accursed drive-in and places his hand on Maddy’s knee. “I won’t leave you on your own. Especially…after tonight.” He purses his lips and stares out at the road. He sees the occasional car on the street, but one of them is Carlton’s Crown Vic, and the other is Karen’s SUV. The headlights shine only two hundred feet in front of him , piercing through the otherwise dark streets.

 

Maddy strokes the back of his hand. “Do you have any beer?”

 

He does. Henry always has beer at the house. He doesn’t drink it every day, but he always has it in case Shawn swings by. Except Maddy is the biggest lightweight he’s ever met, and she will most definitely get drunk if he gives her anything tonight. “I do, but Mad, getting drunk is– I know you want to, and I know you want to forget, but alcohol isn’t the answer.” He slows to a stop when the light turns yellow and glances over at her. “You never let me drink after a hard case for the same reason.”

 

She bites her bottom lip. “I know,” she whispers, and she closes her eyes. “I know. It’s just…I do want to forget.”

 

He turns his eyes back to the road, at the light that gleams bright red. The red light shines directly onto the asphalt.

 

Maddy rests her head against the seat and turns her head to look at Henry. “You weren’t there. I was just looking at my notes from my conference, and I heard something at the door. I figured it was just– listen, I told Shawn that she snuck up on me, but she didn’t. Not really. I had gotten up to put the secondary lock on the door, but before I could touch it, she flung open the door. I tried to fight back, Henry, I really did, but I was just so scared and I had nothing around. She grabbed me and just –”

 

He throws the truck into park and turns to her. There’s no one around, anyway. He can miss the next light if he wants to. “Maddy, it’s not your fault. You were terrified.”

 

She smiles tightly, tears welling in her eyes. “Henry, you taught me how to fight even when I was scared. I forgot all of that, and I don’t know why. If only I was stronger…”

 

He squeezes her hands. “Madeleine, listen to me.” He never uses her full name. Well, that’s not entirely true, but he never uses it lightly. He always has a purpose for using it instead of just addressing her. “You still tried to fight back. You’re safe now. I don’t even care about the former as long as the latter is true.” His face softens, and he pulls her into his chest. “As long as you’re with me, you’ll always be safe. I will always protect you.”

 

Her fingers bunch in his shirt. “I can’t lose you, Henry. Don’t let me lose you.”

 

The light turns green.

 

*

 

Maddy plays with her hands. She doesn’t want to leave Henry’s side, but she also feels like she’s being far too clingy. Henry seems to understand, except he  _ doesn’t. _ She needs to shower, she needs to change, and she needs to fall asleep. She hasn’t been married to him for around twelve years, and she wants to be independent.

 

Henry rests his back against the kitchen counter. “Maddy, it’s okay to need someone by your side for a few days.”

 

She runs a shaking hand through her hair. “It’s just that…logically, I know that no one is going to come kidnap me in the shower while you’re here, but there’s just a part of me that…can’t help but think that someone  _ might.  _ That someone  _ might _ get past you, that someone  _ might _ hurt you, that someone  _ might _ take me. And that part is so much louder than the logical side, and it’s dark right now –”

 

Henry takes a step forward and rests a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay to be scared, Maddy. I’d be way more concerned about you if you weren’t scared after tonight.” He purses his lips. “Look, if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll sit in the bedroom while you take a shower.”

 

She ducks her head and steps forward, into his arms. “That won’t help.” She takes a shaky breath and wraps her arms around his middle. “Just get in the shower with me, Henry. I know it sounds stupid, but that’s the only way I’ll feel safe at all tonight. If I can see you.”

 

He raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” A quip is on the tip of his tongue, but he swallows it. It’s not the time.

 

She tilts her head. “I know you have some sort of joke about this and honestly, it might make me feel better.”

 

Henry smiles and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes dancing from her freckles to her own blue eyes. “Well, I’m just saying, the last time we saw each other naked, we were having sex.”

 

Maddy laughs softly and smacks his shoulder. “Henry!” She shakes her head and starts walking up the stairs, pulling him along behind her.

 

He trudges after her, unzipping his windbreaker. “I mean, I’m not wrong. It’s still stuck pretty clearly in my head.”

 

Once they reach the top of the stairs, Maddy whirls around, grips Henry’s windbreaker, and kisses him. “We’re not having sex this time.”

 

He pulls off his windbreaker and tosses it onto the bed. Given enough time, it will seriously annoy him, but Maddy needs his hangers more than he does. He steps into the closet and hands her three different hangers, unbuttoning his shirt. “Are you sure about that, Mad?”

 

She rolls her eyes and hangs up her cardigan. “I am positive.” She holds up her index finger before he can ask why not and says, “Because Shawn might swing by later, and he has never witnessed us having sex, and I really don’t want him ever witnessing that.”

 

Henry grins devilishly and kisses her jaw. “I suppose that’s fair.” He pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it into his hamper. “Depending on how long you stay, I can get your laundry done in the next wash, but…” He shrugs and sits heavily on the bed.

 

Maddy takes off her shirt and bunches it once in her hands. “Do you mind if I stay for a couple of days? I just…need some time.”

 

Henry nods. “You can stay. You don’t ever have to ask, Mad. You’ll always have a place here.”

 

She hangs up her shirt, places her clothes on the bed, and gently kisses his lips. “I love you, you know that?”

 

He smiles softly and kisses her again. “I know. I love you, too.” He drops both of his shoes on the floor, and at Maddy’s glare, he shrugs sheepishly. “I’ll put them away soon, I just need to take off my socks.”

 

She shakes her head fondly and unclasps her bra.

 

Maddy has always been one for scalding hot showers. He never liked to take hot showers – he always had it on the coldest setting possible. It got him in and out of the shower as quickly as possible.

 

However, when they were first married and took their first shower together, they found that neither could deal with the other’s extreme. They’ve learned to compromise with lukewarm water, set in the dead center of hot and cold. Once it reaches this compromised temperature, Henry helps Maddy into the shower and follows after her.

 

He lets the water run over his head. “I, um…don’t have your hair products. Any of them. I might still have some of Shawn’s shampoo from the last time he showered here…”

 

Maddy furrows her brow. “Why is Shawn showering here? Is he having money problems? Henry –”

 

Henry holds up a hand. “Well, it’s a bit complicated. He always rents out small buildings that aren’t designed for living, see. He always gets a good deal on rent. Right now, he’s living in an old dry cleaner’s, renovated. He usually showers at Gus’s place, but I think Gus had a girl over or something, so Shawn came here.”

 

Her mouth falls open. “What is our child doing?”

 

Henry chuckles. “He’s unique, that’s for sure. Look, I think I tucked it away under the sink, if you want me to check.”

 

“That’d be nice, Henry.”

 

He nearly trips out of the shower, but the shampoo is there as promised. He steps back into the shower with it in hand. “I, um, also don’t have any ladies’ clothing.”

 

Maddy squirts the shampoo into her hand and starts massaging her scalp. Henry lifts his finger and twirls it in a little circle. She turns around, letting him rub the shampoo into her hair. “Really, Henry? No women have left any here?”

 

“You were the last woman I slept with.”

 

Her eyelids flutter closed and she leans into his chest. Henry purposefully runs his fingers through her hair more than necessary, gently tugging on the hairs closer to her scalp.

 

“Do you honestly expect me to believe that? With you and Sue B.?”

 

He combs her wet hair, trying to keep it as untangled as possible. “She gave me a hickey, and that was the farthest we ever went. I just…never felt comfortable going further.”

 

She sighs happily the more he plays with her hair. “Henry, I’m not so naive to think I’m the only woman you’ve ever slept with.”

 

“You’re not,” he agrees, finally pulling his hands away. Maddy steps under the stream of water. “But every time I sleep with someone else, I always feel so guilty. I just…it’s not right when it isn’t with you.” He shrugs and grabs the bar of soap, scrubbing his chest with it. “Besides, it usually ends with me saying your name instead of whoever’s I’m sleeping with.”

 

Maddy gasps sharply and whirls around in the shower. He immediately reaches out to catch her. “You do not!” she exclaims, a smirk creeping up her face.

 

He rolls his eyes and waves his hand, resuming his washing. “There was only one other woman since Shawn’s gotten back in town. And he never met her. It’s just really complicated.”

 

She quirks her eyebrow and runs her hands through her hair, getting the rest of the shampoo off. “Is it?”

 

Henry sighs heavily. “Are you psychoanalyzing me right now?”

 

She smiles brightly. “Maybe. But seriously, is it really that complicated, or is it just that your feelings for me never left and you can’t get over that?”

 

He sets down the bar of soap. “You know which one it is.”

 

She nods. “True. I know which one it is, but I think you need to hear yourself say it.”

 

Henry squeezes her hands. “My feelings for you never left. Every single time I saw you after the divorce or just in general, I was always slammed in the chest with how much I still loved you, and I am never going to stop loving you.”

 

She cups his face with her left hand. “I know you love me. You let me leave, you let me take that job opportunity, and you never demanded that I come back.” She kisses his cheek. “And, honestly, I want to, but there’s just so much more I want to do, so many more places I want to travel…” She licks her lips. “Would you come with me?”

 

He places a gentle kiss to her forehead. “If you wanted me to.” He sighs. “But Shawn still needs me. I mean, maybe not, he solved this case pretty much by his lonesome, but I’m just scared to death that one day, I’ll need to bail him out of a dangerous situation, and I won’t be there.”

 

Maddy smiles sadly. “Would it just be easier to wait?”

 

_ Don’t let her slip through your fingers. You lost her once, don’t lose her again. _

**_But you need to do what’s best for you and Shawn._ **

 

Henry clenches his jaw and brings her hand up to his lips. “I don’t want to lose you again, Mad,” he whispers, “but I can’t leave Shawn. I want to follow you to the edges of the world, but I just can’t. Shawn needs me.”

 

“I love you, Henry.” She licks her lips. “And maybe I’ll retire soon…”

 

He kisses her hand again. “I’ll wait for you. I will always wait for you.”

 

*

 

While she dries off, he rummages through his closet and pulls out his comfiest t-shirt and a pair of sweats. “Hon? Do you want a pair of my underwear, or you just going without?”

 

Maddy pokes her head into the closet, her towel wrapped tightly around her body. “Um…that depends on if you still wear briefs.”

 

“What is your thing against briefs?” he murmurs, pulling out on of the drawers to search for a pair of boxers.

 

“They’re too big is the issue. It gets drafty up there. Boxers, on the other hand, are workable.”

 

Henry hands her one of his pairs of boxers. “I’ll leave you to change…” When he sees the desperation in her eyes, he clears his throat. “Or not. I’m staying in the room, I’m just going to call Domino’s and see if they can whip up a pizza for us real quick.”

 

She squeezes some of the excess water from her hair. “Pepperoni or pineapple?”

 

He rolls his eyes. “Which do you prefer, dear?”

 

Maddy smiles at him, drops her towel on the floor, and starts getting dressed. “I’m in the mood for some pepper– no, scratch that, we’re going pineapple.”

 

He smiles softly at her and dials the chain. Whichever college freshman is at the other end seems upset that Henry called in an order this late to closing time, and what’s more, Henry wants it delivered.

 

Maddy wraps her hair into a towel hat. “Downstairs?”

 

Henry nods and sets the landline back in its charging port. “Sure thing. Do you want to watch a movie or something?”

 

She shakes her head as soon as he offers a movie. “No…what about an old feel-good tv show?”

 

He purses his lips and follows her down the stairs. “What do you suggest?  _ Friends? The Brady Bunch? Full House?” _

 

At the bottom of the steps, she turns around and rests her hands against her chest. “How about whatever is on so late at night?”

 

He gives her a peck on the lips and leads her into the living room. “Sounds like a plan.” Grabbing the blanket folded on the recliner, he shakes it out once and wraps it around Maddy’s shoulders. She looks up at him gratefully and tugs it more tightly around her body.

 

“Don’t we have bigger and more comfortable ones in the linen closet?”

 

Henry glances down the hall. It’s true, they do, but he has yet to replace that light bulb, and he doesn’t want to take her down an eerie hallway, nor does he want to leave her on her own.

 

She reaches out and squeezes his wrist. “I think I’ll be fine for thirty seconds. Do you still have my favorite blanket, or did I take that?”

 

He fiddles with his watch. “I think I still have it. Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

 

She squeezes his wrist again and motions for him to bend down. When his face is close to hers, she reaches out, cups his face in both of her hands, and kisses him once. “I promise I’ll be fine. You’re right here.”

 

He grabs the flashlight on the mantle (so sue him, he’s always prepared; he  _ has _ been living with this burnt-out light bulb for the better part of the month, and the guest bathroom is the door right next to the linen closet. Efficiency), turns it on, and trudges down the hallway. Maddy’s favorite blanket sits at the very top, so he sets the flashlight on one of the shelves, stands on his tiptoes, and gently tugs it from its position. It’s just as soft as it always has been, still spring green with a white silk edge.

 

Maddy has grabbed the remote and now flips through the tv guide when Henry walks back in. She glances up when she hears his footsteps (he always moved quietly, but never so softly that she couldn’t hear his footsteps; even Shawn has learned to identify his father’s silent steps) and smiles softly. “You still have it!”

 

He shakes it out and sits next to her on the couch. She immediately curls into his side, resting her head on his shoulder while he drapes the blanket over their legs. “I can give it to you, if you want.”

 

She fingers the silk edge. “No,” she says softly, “I want you to keep it. Chances are I’d end up losing it with how much I move around.” She looks up, finding Henry’s hand. “I don’t even live in apartments anymore. I’m usually living out of hotels. And I’m coming back one day, Henry.”

 

He kisses her forehead.

 

Maddy takes a deep breath and turns her attention back to the television.  _ “Friends _ is the only comfort show I’ve been able to find. I mean,  _ M*A*S*H _ is on, but that would stress me out…”

 

Henry squeezes her hand.  _ “Friends _ is great, Mad. Let’s do it.”

 

Halfway through the first episode of Friends, the doorbell rings. Maddy gets up with Henry, moving silently into the kitchen, while Henry pays and heavily tips the college freshman. Acne studs the young boy’s face, and the bags under his eyes look nearly like bruises. Henry holds up two twenty dollar bills. “For the pizza,” he says, passing the freshman one of the bills (it’s already a tip, he knows – the pizza itself costs just about $14). He holds up the other twenty. “And for not spitting in it even though we ordered the pizza at 12:33 in the morning, when you were just hoping to go home.”

 

The freshman takes both bills and nods at Henry. “Thank you, sir. Here’s your pizza.”

 

Henry shuts the door after the freshman leaves and motions for Maddy to head back into the living room. “Let’s be youths tonight. Pizza and soda in front of the tv.”

 

Maddy grins, grabs two diet Cokes, and heads back into the living room. “Just like when we were first married, and I couldn’t drink alcohol?”

 

Henry sets the pizza on the coffee table (he’ll clean it tomorrow, it’s fine) and opens the lid. The smell of pineapple pizza wafts through the air and reaches his nose. “God, that’s delicious.”

 

Maddy slowly lowers herself onto the couch next to him, setting out two coasters. “You used to hate pineapple pizza, remember?”

 

He pops open his diet Coke and takes a sip. “And then you got pregnant with Shawn and all you craved was pineapple everything. I had to get really used to the taste.”

 

Her nose crinkles with her smile, and she leans into his side. “God, I love you.” She stretches out her hands as Henry passes her a slice of pizza and moans when she takes her first bite.

 

He quirks an eyebrow, folds his own pizza, and takes a bite. “Are you talking to me or the pizza?”

 

“Bofe.” Maddy squeals a bit when she notices that the show has come back on, and she immediately turns up the volume. She groans when Ross comes onto the screen. “God. This is about the episode I really started hating Ross.”

 

Henry hums. “I remember watching the first season with you.” He clears his throat, pushing the memory away. “But I just want to know why  _ you  _ hate Ross?”

 

Maddy raises her eyebrows in indignation and holds up an index finger. Henry prepares to deal with the longest rant since their last fight.

 

He gets through three more slices of pizza, nodding his head slowly and listening carefully to every minute problem that Maddy ever had with Ross (and, to an extent, Rachel), thankful that none of her problems with Ross could directly relate to himself. In fact, most of her issues with Ross directly relate to her ex-boyfriend, William, and Henry smiles smugly to himself.

 

Maddy catches that smile and elbows him. “Why do you look so smug?”

 

Henry clears his throat and takes another drink of his diet Coke. “Do you want to know the real reason or is this rhetorical?”

 

She narrows her eyes at him. “Real reason.”

 

He shrugs sheepishly. “Because it sounds like all the problems you had with William.”

 

“You hated William!”

 

“Of course I hated William! I didn’t know just how serious your relationship with him was.”

 

Her face softens, and she snuggles into his side. “I was never going to marry him, Henry.”

 

“You lived with him.”

 

“Because I had the option of staying in a crazy expensive hotel for an indefinite period of time or living with him until I moved.” She kisses his cheek. “You were the only husband I ever wanted, Henry.” She blushes and looks down. “In fact, in the last year or so of our relationship, we never had sex and I took a different room than his. It just…didn’t feel right.” Maddy nudges him. “And I know for a fact you ran more than one background check on him.”

 

“It was two! I just wanted to make sure you were safe!”

 

She grins. “I was, I suppose, but not just because William is a pussy who couldn’t do anything to me if he wanted to, but because you were always looking out for me.”

 

Henry nods and clears his throat. “I’ll always look out for you, Mad. I just want you to be safe.” He crushes the aluminum can in his hand and stares at the leftover pizza. “How many more episodes are there?”

 

Maddy furrows her brow and checks the guide. “This is the last one.”

 

“I can get the guest bed turned down for yo–”

 

She grips his forearm and shakes her head rapidly. “No,” she whispers. “I can’t be in a room on my own. Not for a few days, at least.”

 

Henry licks his lips and glances upstairs. “Do you want to sleep with me?”

 

Her voice is soft when she says, “Please.”

 

When they climb in bed together, they find their old position quickly. Her head lies on his chest, her right hand on his shoulder.

 

Nightmares churn at the forefront of his mind, each one jostling to be the first to show up in his dreams. Except Maddy rolls over onto her right side, turning away from him, and twenty years of marriage taught him that she’s crying and she doesn’t want him to know.

 

He wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her close to his chest. “You’re safe now,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “You’re safe now, and nothing can get you anymore.”

 

It doesn’t get cold in Santa Barbara all that often, but when it does, it reminds Maddy of her hometown. Except tonight, the cold didn’t just hang in the air, it penetrated her soul and tried to create ice around her heart. Henry never let that ice stay. He took care of her, and he warmed her heart, reminded her that he loves her.

 

She should have nightmares. Instead, she just falls asleep in Henry’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it, love it, hate it? Leave a comment below or go to my tumblr, @ my-glasses-are-dirty, and tell me what you think!


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